Rinoa looked at Seifer nervously, she realised that her apprehension at having to go on a mission with her fiancee had somewhat unnerved Cid. She stole a sideways glance at the tall blond and was rewarded with an absent grin, almost as if he had other things on his mind. She sighed inwardly and tried to hold her head up high as she passed the giggling junior class men, aware that the laughter was at her own expense. There still remained the few who believed she had stolen their precious Commander away from them. Following the days of almost ritual humiliation of her by him, she had sensed a certain frostiness from sections of the Garden. The young sorceress sighed, trying and failing to force the thoughts from her head. Seifer doesn't care; Squall hates me…what's the point? Seifer noticed the frown on the woman's face and placed a hand on her arm.
"Rin? What's up?"
She felt her heart jump at even this small gesture, the meagre comforts his touch and words afforded lifting her spirits. So I was wrong…he does think about me. Unlike some guys I could mention. "I just…I don't know Seifer. All this, it's just starting to grate on me, y'know?" She gestured to the girls busily snickering at her.
He narrowed his eyes at the girls who backed away slowly, his reputation serving him well. "It's ok, they're just stupid kids. And don't worry about Cid, he knows Squall's been strange recently. Hell, he said it himself! He won't think any less of you because you're worried about being with Squall on this mission. Even I'm a little nervous." He grinned weakly.
Hope glimmered briefly in her eyes. "Really?"
"Really. Look Rinoa, just relax. Don't let him get to you. I'm here if anything happens. I might have been the bad guy at one point, but I guess we all change." He smiled wryly.
Rinoa bit her lip, the frown back in place. "I guess…some of us more dramatically than others."
"Rin, he's…"
"He's what?"
Not whom everyone thinks he is. He shook his head. "Nothing."
Nothing that Squall Leonhart couldn't solve. For Hyne's sake, am I doomed never to do anything worthwhile? I can't protect my friends from this asshole posing as Squall, I can't even tell them what I know! Because of one stupid mistake, the credibility of the lap dog is worth shit. I, I can't just do nothing!
you can do something though. you know that. The voice invaded his thoughts and he jumped a little, earning an inquisitive tilt of the head from Rinoa. He pointed to his foot, as if indicating he'd tripped and answered the presence.
Bahamut?
you have another junctioned unto you? of course it is i.
Seifer smirked inwardly at the Guardian Forces patter. Nice to hear from you again, I suppose. What do you mean I can do something? I can't do shit. He's got me over a fucking barrel.
that's where you're wrong. he may think he has you where he wants you, the truth is a little different. the companion you seek draws near, but you must aid his passage and his recovery. the road will be difficult, but it is one you must traverse together. the pretender will be vanquished; it is the master who is the real threat. prepare yourself, the battle will soon be won. the outcome of the war, however, is…uncertain.
War? What frickin' war?
There was no answer and Seifer sighed, rolling his eyes at the snippets of information he had been fed. Always just enough to counteract any possible attack, but never enough to stop the threat itself. It frustrated the SeeD no end and he could feel Bahamut's amusement as he sent mental curses to the GF. He looked to Rinoa who was busily checking the equipment.
"Rin? You ready?"
"No."
He chuckled at her predictable answer. "Tough, we have to go meet the asshole now. Just ignore him, that's the best thing we can both do. I have a feeling things will take a turn for the better soon."
~*~*~
Squall winced as the simpering voice called through the door yet again. "Are you sure you don't need anything, Sir? I can rub in some soothing cream to those poor, burnt 'bits' of yours!"
"I'm sure. I'm fine, please leave me to rest." He called, fearful that they would open the door. Again.
He heard the hesitation in the woman's voice. "If you're sure…"
For the love of Hyne! Yes! I'm sure! I've never been so sure in my damn life! "I'm sure. Thank you."
He heard the footsteps fade away as the woman strode off, no doubt to harass other guests with her proffered 'favours'. Squall scowled as the disturbing giggles of an amused Shiva echoed throughout his mind.
Shut up, Shiva.
He felt her try to compose herself. I am sorry, master. She snorted with laughter and he shook his head.
This is your fault you know? I can't believe you brought me here!
You would rather I had kept quiet and left you to die in the desert? This is the only settlement for five hundred miles. You wouldn't have lasted another day out there. Besides, you are a bit of a cutie!
Squall blushed furiously as she chortled at his expense. Shiva! Better not let Rin hear you say that.
He could imagine the smirk turning up the corners of her mouth. A bit of jealousy never hurt anyone.
It could hurt me. She's a Hyne damn Sorceress! "Hi honey, Shiva took me to a nudist colony while I was missing and said I was cute." I can imagine the results; they wouldn't be pretty. A pissed off Sorceress is never a good thing.
I suppose…I apologise.
Squall grinned. It's ok. To be honest, it's nice having you here. It's good having someone to talk to, someone to share this torture with.
You finally figured out that it is all right to enjoy the company of others? To have a conversation?
I guess.
I am glad. The Sorceress was a blessing to us all. Should you not use a healing spell to cure the sun inflicted wounds?
He frowned, mentally examining his stocks. I only have one left, will it definitely work? I don't want to waste it; we still have a long way to go till Garden. There'll be battles on the way, I don't have the Lionheart and I'm not as good as Zell with my fists…I'll need it if we run into serious trouble.
It will work. How do you expect to combat if you cannot move your limbs due to the burns? You can restock on the way, I will alert you to the presence of magic.
The youth cast the spell, the burns healing completely. He smiled lazily, allowing himself the luxury of stretching after a day of agony. Shiva? Thank you, for everything.
He felt a cool whisper of a kiss on his cheek. You're welcome.
~*~*~
"Hey, sweetie! How you been?"
Rinoa's eyes widened in surprise as Squall embraced her warmly, kissing the top of her head. He caressed the non-existent bump of her stomach and grinned wildly.
"Uh, fine. Are you feeling ok, Squall?"
The grin faded and was replaced by an air of remorse. "I'm fine. Rin, I'm so sorry for the way I've been acting. It was wrong of me, I know, but I've been feeling out of sorts since I had that accident on the mission. If I could take it all back, believe me I would." He sighed. "Please forgive me, darling. I love you so much and I'm so happy about the baby. I don't want to lose my fiancee and my child because of my own Hynedamn stupidity."
The young sorceress' face lit up with joy, her spirits lifting immediately. "You mean that? Oh Hyne, Squall! You have no idea what that means to me!"
He brushed a tear away from his eye as he snickered inwardly. "I haven't lost you?" He asked in a small voice.
Rinoa flung her arms around him. "Of course not!"
Seifer snorted as his enemy winked at him from over the girl's shoulder. "Rin? You gonna forgive him this easily? After all he put us through!"
She looked at him reproachfully. "Seifer, you of all people should know everyone deserves a second chance. He wasn't himself…"
No shit. Seifer though angrily.
"And he's apologised for it. It's just like you with the whole Ultimecia thing. You could be a little more understanding." She finished.
You've just been hurt so much by this prick that you'll grasp at any chance of happiness he offers you. Rin, for Hyne's sake, see through this bullshit! Seifer sucked in a deep breath and forced a smile onto his face. "You're right, Rin. Sorry Squall."
Rinoa pecked the commander's cheek before sitting down in the pilot's chair. Selphie had been giving her lessons and she eagerly awaited the chance to test her new-found skills. "So, what's the mission then?"
The dark haired youth cleared his throat. "There's a small monster problem in Winhill. Basically, we're to mop up the last vestiges of monster activity and report back to Garden. Nice easy mission, eh?"
"Sounds easy for us, I guess." She smiled, turning her attention back to the controls of the Ragnarok. Rinoa's eyes gleamed as the buttons shone invitingly, chuckling as she realised a bit of Selphie must have rubbed off on her. Must not touch pretty coloured buttons, must wait until Squall is ready…ooh, but temptation is a terrible thing.
"Rin? You want to get going?"
Squalls voice broke through her thoughts and she grinned, making the preparations to lift off as Seifer tapped Squall on the shoulder.
"A word, Commander?"
Squall smirked at him. "Of course, SeeD Almasy. What can I do for you?"
His fiancee listened into the forced pleasantries before letting it pass and concentrating on her duties. There had always been a strained relationship between the two and she wasn't about to get involved in the ongoing feud again.
"Not here, Squall. In the command room. Now."
Squall stalked through to the designated area, the blond hot on his heels. He stopped and narrowed his eyes, turning to face the man who knew his secret. "What do you want, Almasy? Can't you see I was having a moment with my woman?"
The taller man barked an incredulous laugh at the statement. "She's not yours, she never will be. Nice little act you got going there, though. I suggest you drop it and keep your fucking hands off her before I…"
"Before you what? Do something you regret? You'll just be playing right into my hands, lapdog. Hyne, he was right. You are easy to manipulate. No wonder Ultimecia used you and then threw you away. You're pathetic, do you know that? Worthless." The man grinned as Seifer stumbled back a little from the verbal blows.
Seifer straightened up and snarled. "You won't win this one. You'll get what's coming to you, I guarantee it. I'll make sure that it happens."
Squall laughed, a harsh, grating sound. "We'll see. Did you know you're not going back to Garden? At least, you're not going back alive."
Greens eyes glared into stormy grey maliciously before he continued. "But don't worry though, Seifer. I already started your funeral fund. You'll go out with full honours, I promise you that much. It's been fun, asshole."
Squall turned on his heel and walked out, leaving Seifer to collapse into a chair. He knew the threat was deadly serious and he shuddered involuntarily. The pretender posed no real threat; Seifer could easily outmanoeuvre him with a gunblade, but still…he had one thing Seifer had lost mere minutes ago. The backing of a sorceress. He preyed the man wouldn't realise what a powerful tool he had at his disposal and waited for Winhill to come into view.
Just to let you all know that the last chapter of this fic was part of an experiment conducted by Refugee and myself. If anyone noticed a difference in writing styles, it is because my friend and fellow Coven member Refugee wrote the last chapter of "The Bitter Dawn." In return, I wrote the latest chapter of "Orphans of Time" by Refugee. Just to clear up any confusion!
Thanks to:
The Angel of the Lion
Pierson
Refugee
Caleb Nova
Nomad
Kerri
If anyone is still reading, I want to thank you all for helping me get to 100+ reviews. It's…amazing and I never expected this when I joined ff.net with my little fic and my big dreams. Thank you all so much for your kind words over the past four months, and please continue to review!
Plug: Refugee, Pierson and Rinoa Heartilly. We three are The Coven. Check my profile for more details.
